Armored vehicle

Abstract

An armored wheeled vehicle configured for maximum resistance to penetration by frontally directed weapons fire while affording excellent visibility at the driver station and an extended field of fire for the weapon observation station, having an armored hull with an extended upper oblique frontal surface, sloping to a point rearward of the midpoint of the vehicle. The driver station is located approximately at the midpoint of the vehicle with the sloping frontal surface affording good visibility for the driver and includes a driver's hatch positioned over a driver station hull opening, the hatch adapted to be moved down and forwardly to provide an unobstructed driver view. The armament observation station is located to the rear and above the driver station, while the vehicle power plant is located along side the driver station. The front suspension includes a trailing arm type suspension minimizing the hull depth at the front wheels to allow the oblique frontal surface to be extended. The front wheel assemblies are disposed within wheel wells recessed within each side of the hull and covered by displaceable fairing panels which are normally disposed and overlie the wheel wells to provide an upper surface in conformity with the frontal surface of the hull.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. An armored vehicle comprising: a vehicle hull constructed of an armor material defining an enclosed space, said vehicle hull having a front end, a rear end and lateral sides, and a sloping front upper surface extending from the front end of said vehicle hull;   a pair of front wheel assemblies located on either side of said armored vehicle hull at the front of said vehicle hull disposed in recessed wheel wells extending laterally into said hull and opening onto said front upper surface of said vehicle hull;   front suspension means supporting the front of said hull on said front wheel assemblies for up and down travel through said recessed wheel wells;   a pair or rear wheel assemblies located on either side of said vehicle hull;   rear suspension means supporting said rear wheel assemblies on the rear portion of said armored vehicle hull;   a vehicle power plant and drive means providing a driving connection to at least one of said front or rear wheel assemblies to thereby power said armored vehicle;   steering means for creating steering movement of said front wheel assemblies to thereby produce steering of said armored vehicle;   a driver station located in said enclosed space defined by said vehicle hull located approximately midpoint in said armored vehicle hull between said front and rear wheel assemblies and on one side of said vehicle hull behind one of said front wheel recesses, said driver station means allowing driver visibility towards the front of said vehicle;   said armored vehicle hull front upper surface extending from said front end of said vehicle hull and sloping upwardly to a point approximately even with said driver station whereby said vehicle hull length from said front end of said vehicle to said point substantially intermediate said front and rear wheel assemblies extends obliquely to thereby increase the penetration resistance of said frontal upper surface area to ballistic impact.   
     
     
       2. The armored vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said engine power plant is located within said enclosed space defined by said armored vehicle hull at a position alongside said driver station. 
     
     
       3. The armored vehicle according to claim 1 further including a weapon-armament station mounted to said vehicle hull at a point located to the rear of said driver station and extending above said level of said vehicle hull at said driver station. 
     
     
       4. The armored vehicle according to claim 3 wherein said weapon-observation station includes a turret mounted to said vehicle hull and extending above said hull level at said driver station, said turret including a weapon mounted to said portion of said turret structure extending above said hull and adapted to direct fire to the front of said vehicle. 
     
     
       5. The armored vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle hull further includes a lower sloping surface extending downward from said frontal edge of said vehicle hull. 
     
     
       6. The armored vehicle according to claim 5 further including upwardly and downwardly sloping surfaces formed along the sides of said vehicle hull from an outer edge substantially in line with said frontal edge of said vehicle hull. 
     
     
       7. The armored vehicle according to claim 6 wherein the rear of said vehicle hull is formed with upwardly and downwardly sloping surfaces extending from a rearmost edge substantially in line with said outer and forward edges of said vehicle hull. 
     
     
       8. The armored vehicle according to claim 1 further including displaceable fairing panels, means mounting said displaceable panels over said recessed wheel wells so as to conform to said sloping upper surface and further including means allowing displacement of said panels against a restoring force upon contact by said front wheel assemblies. 
     
     
       9. The armored vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle hull is formed with a rear exit opening formed in said rear portion of said vehicle hull. 
     
     
       10. The armored vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said driver station viewing means comprises a hatch opening formed in said vehicle hull, a displaceable driver hatch, means mounting said driver hatch over said driver station so as to be displaceable forwardly and downwardly over said upper surface of said hull, whereby said driver may view towards the front of said vehicle over said viewing hatch through said opening with said driver hatch in the forward downward position. 
     
     
       11. The armored vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said sloping upper surface of said hull forms an angle of approximately 10° to the horizontal. 
     
     
       12. The armored vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said front suspension means includes a bell crank assembly supporting each of said front wheel assemblies, each of said bell crank assemblies including a trailing arm pivotally mounted to said vehicle hull at its forward end and extending rearwardly; means mounting said front wheel assemblies on said trailing arms drivingly supporting said wheel assemblies on said trailing arms, further including a crank arm rotated by each of said trailing arms and further including compression spring means compressed by said crank arms upon rotation of said trailing arms. 
     
     
       13. The armored vehicle according to claim 12 where said compression spring means comprises a pair of substantially horizontally extending coil springs adapted to be compressed by said crank arms. 
     
     
       14. The armored vehicle according to claim 13 wherein each of said compression springs is mounted within said vehicle hull extending into the front nose portion of said enclosed space defined by said vehicle hull. 
     
     
       15. The armored vehicle according to claim 13 wherein said suspension means further includes an axle housing extending between said front wheel assemblies, means mounting a respective front wheel assembly on the outer ends of said axle housing and wherein each of said trailing arms is pivotally mounted to the respective end of said axle housing. 
     
     
       16. The armored vehicle according to claim 15 further including a differential gear unit mounted within said axle housing and a pair of axle shafts extending through said axle housing driven by the output of said differential gear unit and means rotatively connecting said wheel assemblies irrespective of said front wheel assemblies with respective one of said axle shafts whereby said wheel assemblies may be driven, further including drive means driving said differential gear unit by said vehicle power plant. 
     
     
       17. The armored vehicle according to claim 13 wherein said rear suspension means comprises a bell crank assembly supporting each of said rear wheel assemblies, each of said bell crank assemblies including a trailing arm connected to a respective rear wheel assembly mounting structure, further including a crank arm drivingly connected to each of said trailing arms, further including compression spring means creating a force resisting movement of said trailing arms in an upward direction, said trailing arms being pivotally supported on said vehicle hull at a point forward of said wheel assemblies, extending rearwardly towards said rear wheel assemblies. 
     
     
       18. The armored vehicle according to claim 17 further including a rear differential gear unit, means driving said differential gear unit by said vehicle power plant, and means driving each of said rear wheel assemblies with the output of said differential gear unit. 
     
     
       19. The armored vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said vehicle hull is provided with an access opening on the side surface thereof allowing access to said engine power plant.